Mizzou Soccer Advances to SEC Semifinals

ORANGE BEACH, AL -- The Mizzou soccer team advances to the semifinals of the SEC Tournament with a 2-1 win over Kentucky on Wednesday, October 31 in Orange Beach, Alabama. The Tigers will face top-seed and No. 11 Florida on Friday, November 2 at 6:30 p.m.

Missouri improves to 14-6 on the season, while the Wildcats fall to 13-6-1. The 14 wins are tied for second on the Mizzou record book for victories in a season.

"We're feeling great to beat Kentucky," Head Coach Bryan Blitz said. "It's a monumental event and we played a really great first half and they played a great first half and we feel great to move on."

The Tigers took control from the opening kick, as senior Haley Krentz had two good chances in the first three minutes.

Krentz finally put the Tigers on the board for a 1-0 advantage in the 26th minute off a pass from senior Taiwo Adeshigbin. Adeshigbin played a ball from the endline into the middle of the box that Krentz got a foot on and blasted into the back of the net. The goal was the third of the season for Krentz, while the assist was Adeshigbin's second of the year.

Less than two minutes later, Missouri capitalized again to take a 2-0 lead. Sophomore Kaysie Clark, stationed in the middle of the Tigers' offensive half, played the ball out wide to Krentz, who sent the ball into the box. Junior Alyssa Diggs pounced on the pass and sent a shot past the Kentucky keeper for her team-leading eighth goal of the year. The tally was also Diggs' third goal against the Wildcats this season.

Clark and Krentz both earned assists on the goal. For Krentz, the assist was her 10th of the year, which is tied for fourth on Mizzou's single-season list.

The Wildcats pulled within one, 2-1, in the 73rd minute when redshirt sophomore goalkeeper McKenzie Sauerwein came off her line and Kentucky's Caitlin Landis beat her and put the ball in the back of the net.

Kentucky kept pressure on the Mizzou in the final minutes but Sauerwein and the Tiger defense held firm to hold on for a 2-1 victory.

Sauerwein made nine saves in goal for Missouri.

Mizzou and Florida face off in the semifinals on Friday, November 2 at 6:30 p.m.